Chapter 13

Lise sat cross-legged on the floor at number 505. The door opened and Megan stepped in. Lise stood and Megan approached and opened her arms.

“You’re a good hugger, Megan,” Lise said.

“Lise ... What’s this I hear of a green strike?”

“I’m afraid it’s true,” Lise replied. “In a few days.”

“What’s a green strike?” Klarissa asked.

“A strike is when a group of workers refuse to show up at their jobs,” Megan explained.

“Green means it’ll be novonids who won’t be working,” Lise added.

“Lise ... does that mean you won’t be coming?”

“I’m not striking. I think it’s wrong and I think it’ll hurt us.”

“Well, my factory doesn’t use novonids. They’re old-fashioned that way, I guess, so we won’t be affected. Not at first, at least. If some of our suppliers stay shut for long, there may be furloughs.”

“I’ll be here, Megan.”

“Lise -- don’t do anything to expose yourself to danger. Sometimes these strikes can get nasty.”

“I’ll be careful.” She knelt and hugged the twins. “See you tomorrow, gang.”

“Not tomorrow,” Megan replied. “Tomorrow’s a rest day.”

“Awww...” Klarissa pouted.

“Then the day after.”

Lise walked to the corner. She had developed the habit of looking around for Thom loitering but saw no sign of him. She hopped onto the platform of her bus and rode into downtown Vyonna, where she changed to one heading toward the Zone.

She walked into the courtyard. A crowd of novonid men, women and some adolescent boys were grouped around something. She approached and saw a white man lying on the concrete, dead. His skull had been split open.

“Bounty hunter,” one of them said. “Trann spotted him.”

“I took care of him with this,” another green man replied. He held up a length of iron pipe, filled with polycrete.

Grott pushed his way through the crowd. “He was headed for your place, Grott. He had this.” Trann held out a handgun.

Grott took the gun and emptied its magazine into the grate of a catch-basin. Then he propped the weapon against a concrete block. He took Trann’s truncheon, lifted it and brought it down on the gun’s barrel with enough force to bend it into a U.

“Hey -- what did you do that for?” Trann protested. “That was worth scrip!”

“We don’t need any more guns in the Zone,” Grott replied.

Lise knelt by the dead man and withdrew his mediascreen. She pressed a button and the screen illuminated. “Look! This is Tagg’s number!”

“Tagg has a bounty on him?” Grott asked. “Does it say how much?”

“No,” Lise replied.

“Must be a big one,” Trann replied, “for a bounty hunter to risk coming into the Zone.”

Grott tucked the man’s gun into his waistband. and lifted his shoulders. “Trann -- help me carry him into the tunnel. We’ll leave him there until after curfew. Then, we’ll dump him onto the street.”

Lise turned and started running toward the gate leading outside the Zone. “Where are you going?” Grott yelled after her.

“Tagg has a bounty on him! I’m going to do something about it!”

She waited at the corner for one of the inbound buses and hopped onto the platform. The bus jostled her as it followed the dilapidated streets past the foundries, brickyards and scrap- metal works in Quadrant Four north of the Zone. She saw the promontory ahead. The bus started into the curve. She pressed the stop request. The bus kept going.

She pounded the stop request and realized it must be broken. “Hey!” she yelled, pounding the rear window. “Stop! Stop the bus!”

A white passenger turned and regarded her, then pressed the stop request inside the coach. The driver pulled to the curb. Lise hopped off and sprinted two long blocks to the steps leading up to Thom’s house.

She rang his bell. The door opened “Thom! You have to help me!”

“Help you? How.”

“It’s Tagg. We have to rescue him -- buy him.”

“Buy him?”

“Yes -- for Novonid Rescue. He’s been declared renegade with a bounty on his head. You have to buy him and remove the bounty.”

“Slow down, Lise. Tell me what happened.”

“A bounty hunter came looking for Tagg this after. One of the other Zone men killed him.”

“Killed Tagg?”

“No -- the bounty hunter.” She let out an exasperated sigh.

“What’s Tagg’s number?” She handed him the mediascreen. Thom began operating his. “Here we go...” Thom let out a whistle. “Ten thousand ... Complaint against him for desertion.” He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “I can’t buy him, Lise.”

“Why not? Are you jealous of him because he’s my boyfriend?”

Thom gazed at her for a long moment, then returned to his screen. “No, Lise. I can’t buy him because he has a complaint lodged against him. Until that is resolved, the title won’t transfer. The complaint must be dismissed by his present owner. What did he do to deserve being marked a renegade?”

“He quit his job after being caned.”

“Caned?”

“Whipped ... flogged. You should see his back, Thom -- all welts and scars.”

“That sort of thing is criminal. His owner should be filing charges, not blaming the victim.”

“His owner doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about any of his. He turns them loose in the Zone and collects their wages -- that’s what he cares about.”

Thom continued to regard the screen. “Stoll Tranya is his owner.” He nodded. “I know Stoll...”

“I thought you said you knew everyone.”

“In fact I do ... Stoll is a stubborn, hard-headed man. He’s been known to do irrational things ... like putting a ten thousand bounty on a novonid he bought for twelve hundred. I hadn’t realized he was a Zoner.” He looked up at Lise. “That’s what we call owners who don’t provide proper quarters.”

“You said you helped novonids in distress. Tagg is in distress!”

“Stoll’s stubbornness is mitigated only by his greed. I’ll give him a call and see what we can do.”

“Thom -- if you can save Tagg ... I’ll sleep with you.”

“Lise?”

“He means that much to me. I’ll sleep with you, Thom. I’ve been thinking about what you said about sex and communication. I’ve decided ... It can be a way of saying thank-you.”

“You don’t have to, Lise.”

“I know you want it, Thom. You’ve done so much for me ... for us. There’s nothing else I have to give you. I want to ... willingly and eagerly ... if you can save Tagg.”

“I can’t give any promises.” He tapped his keypad. A call connected. “Stoll ... Thom Bromen here.”

“Thom -- what can I do?”

“I was looking through the list of renegades and noticed one of yours -- with quite a hefty bounty.”

“Yeah ... That piece of green shit. Do you know where he is?”

“No ... Not precisely. Stoll ... I was wondering if you’d let me take him off your hands. You only paid twelve hundred for him.”

“And I haven’t made a unit back. He’s worthless, Thom.”

“You’re a natural salesman, Stoll. I’ll bid you three thousand for him.”

“Three thousand? You’re crazy, Thom.”

“Seems to me you’re the crazy one. You’ve got a ten grand bounty on one you paid twelve hundred for. You’ll take a nine grand haircut just to prove a point, yet you won’t take three grand to make the problem go away.”

“It’s not the money, Thom. It’s the principle. He can’t get away with this. It’s bad for my others.”

“How about I add two grand for principle? Five grand, cash bid. You’ll have it tonight.”

“No, Thom. I gotta make an example here.” The call terminated.

Lise groaned. “You couldn’t offer him more?”

“Not when Stoll is working on principle. I told you he’s a stubborn man.” Thom checked his timepiece. “However, right about now, Stoll’s greed should be overtaking his stubbornness.”

“Are you going to call him back?”

“Of course not.” Thom leaned back in his chair and locked his hands behind his head. “I’ll let him call me.”

Lise paced. “How much longer?” Thom shrugged.

“He might not call back at all.” An incoming call warbled. Thom waited for the second ring signal and then answered. “Stoll...”

“Seventy-five hundred. That’s my ask.”

“Five thousand is a firm bid,” Thom replied. “You won’t get a better one.”

There was a long pause. “Six thousand.”

“All right, Stoll,” Thom replied, “done. Take Tagg’s number off the renegade list and I’ll order the funds transferred. Pleasure doing business with you, Stoll.” He tapped his keypad.

Lise stood behind Thom’s chair and watched the list of renegades. Tagg’s number disappeared from the list. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his bald head. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now, I’ll keep my part of the bargain.”

“I told you, Lise -- you don’t have to.”

“I want to. I really do, Thom. What you said about chemistry between us? It’s true. I am drawn to you. And now, more than ever I want to. You said you’d wait ‘til I was ready. Well -- I’m ready.”

“The bedroom’s upstairs, first door on the left. I’ll be up as soon as I finish this transaction.”

Lise mounted the stairs and stepped into Thom’s bedroom. It was cleanly but sparsely furnished, with a large bed, nightstand, desk and chair. A sliding door was open. Lise walked through it onto a private balcony overlooking the city. The sun was setting and the sky glowed rose. “Quite a view?” she heard Thom say.

“Very nice. I thought the view was good from the terrace.”

“Lise -- I’m going to take a shower first. I’ve become accustomed to showering before bed. The personal care experts advise against it, because it does terrible things to your hair. I believed them for a while.”

Lise chortled. “Do you want me to bathe, too?”

“It’s up to you.”

“I bathed this morning.” She pretended to fluff her hair. “I don’t want to get mussed.”

“I won’t be long.” He stepped through a door to a private bath. She heard water running.

Lise slipped out of her sandals. She removed her bandeau and shorts and set them on the chair. Then, she tested the bed. She seemed to sink into it.

The water shut off. Lise sat on the bed, cross-legged. She pressed her hand to her chest -- her heart was pounding.

The bathroom door opened. Thom emerged, a towel around his waist. “It’s not too late to call this off.”

“I meant it, Thom. I gave my word, and when I give my word, I keep it.”

“I’ll admit, I’m more nervous than I expected I’d be.”

“Me, too.”

“The first time is special.”

“Am I your first novonid?”

“Alas, I wish I could say you were. I’m being honest, Lise. There haven’t been many others, though ... Certainly none like you.” Lise rolled her eyes upward. “You take that with some skepticism ... you’re a bright girl. It is true. May I look at you for a moment?” Lise smiled and shrugged. “Strike some poses for me.”

“What sort of pose?”

“Some that show off what you think are your best features.”

“I don’t know what’s best. I never thought about it.” Lise sat up, bent one knee and hugged her shin.

“You can do better than that,” Thom remarked.

She bent her knees, arched her back and supported herself with her hands. “Is this better?”

“Much.” Lise stretched on her back, crossed one knee over the other and locked her hands behind her head. “You have a great body, Lise -- and you know it. I think you’re enjoying showing it off.”

She smiled. “I do a little ... to the right person.” She rolled onto her side and held her knee. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re perfection, Lise. There is nothing that would make you more beautiful.” He stood, regarding her. “Your people are incapable of gaining weight -- except in the form of muscle. For both sexes the amount of body fat is optimum. It gives you the perfect figure.”

“By design?” she asked.

“Of course. All novonid women are beautiful. You are the most beautiful of a beautiful species. In all my years of working with your people, I’ve never met your equal.”

“Thom ... You’re making me blush.”

Thom slipped off the towel. “You’ll notice I’m ready.”

“Very ready, by the looks of you.”

“You’ll also notice the alopecia affects more of me than just my head. Some white women find it a definite turn-off.”

“I don’t. You have a nice physique. When you told me I could beat you wrestling, you must’ve been exaggerating.”

“I’ll challenge you to three rounds and we’ll see.” He sat on the bed near her.

“Maybe some other time.” Lise ran her hand along his arm. “You’re built like some of the men in the Zone. I think you look sexy, Thom.”

“Really?” She smiled and nodded. “I’m delighted to hear it.”

“If it weren’t for your color, you’d look just like one.”

“Lise! That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” He lay beside her and cradled her in his arms. “You are the most beautiful girl. Perfection, that’s what you are. Your face, your figure, your legs ... I know you’re not a virgin. I’m happy for that.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I dislike the notion of taking a woman’s virginity.”

“Someone has to do it.” she replied.

“I suppose. Still ... have there been other men besides Tagg?”

“I do rounds with my mother ... from time to time.”

“That’s not love-making. That’s a gang-bang -- it doesn’t count.”

Lise smiled. “Only Tagg, then.”

“Is Tagg an experienced lover?”

“Not really. He’s somewhat clumsy, actually.”

“Not an uncommon problem.”

“Of course,” she replied, “I would never tell him that.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. By now no doubt you’ve discovered that men are afflicted with large and rather tender egos.”

“He is improving.”

“All he needs is some coaching ... and, practice. I’ve wanted to educate you on your sexuality, Lise. Up to now, it’s a topic we put off-limits. This seems like a good time to broach the subject.”

“I suppose it is.”

“Like everything about you, it was done for a reason. Novonid women are more sexual than is typical for white women. Typical, I said -- some white women are sexual indeed. This was done on purpose. One of your intended functions was as a sex worker. I think it’s ironic that our society builds sexual beings like yourself and then imposes sanctions to stifle that very aspect. It’s not anything you can control, Lise. It’s wired into your nervous system. Not here...” He pointed to his head. “Not where you think, but here, in the animal part of your brain.” He pointed to the back of his neck. “I have the blueprints in my library. When you tell me you feel chemistry between us, I believe you. You can’t help it. You feel it with every man.”

“Yes...”

“It doesn’t mean you act on those feelings. Living in a civilized society means we constrain ourselves.” Thom kissed her brown lips. He kissed her chin and her neck, then between her breasts.

Lise realized she was breathing. She had stored enough sunlight to keep her metabolism strictly photosynthetic through the next day, but she was breathing. And, her heart was throbbing.

Thom caressed her breasts with the backs of his fingers. Lise felt her body relaxing. She closed her eyes and felt almost as if she were falling.

“This feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, yes...”

“You want more, don’t you? Both sides...” She licked her lips, swallowed and nodded. “Your brain is flooding itself with endorphins -- shutting down your emotional centers. Anger, fear, hate ... You’re unable to feel any of those, now...” He continued massaging her breasts. “You feel only one thing...”

She nodded and realized that’s what happened the previous night, with Tagg.

“I’ll imagine your mother taught you to protect certain parts of your body from being touched. This is why. It’s why I’d never force myself on a novonid woman. There’s no sport in it.”

“So, Thom ... This is sport to you?”

He smiled. “No, Lise. I wouldn’t force myself on anyone. But it is why it’s so difficult proving a rape with a novonid victim is non-consensual.” She felt his lips against her sternum and her abdomen. “Your skin tastes sweet, Lise.” He took her hand and guided it onto his body. “It’s all right if you touch me, too. You don’t find white skin repulsive, do you?”

“Not yours, Thom,” she replied softly.